Nová Víska: History and Landscape in the Ore Mountains

Nová Víska combines the open landscape of the Ore Mountains with traces of a settlement whose history extends far beyond its present size. Among hills, grassland and almost undeveloped areas, you can discover a place where the historic name, the former Puschhof estate and small cultural monuments are closely connected with the landscape.

Between the Ore Mountains slope and protected landscape

Nová Víska is located in the Ore Mountains, the Krušné hory, at about 650 metres above sea level. The settlement lies between hills in the upper or middle part of a slope with a gradient of more than 8 %. Permanent grassland and almost no development define the landscape. The upper and lower parts of the settlement form a single unit; there are currently 15 buildings in Nová Víska.

The cadastral area of Nová Víska u Domašína belongs to Podmilesy, a European Site of Community Importance with the designation CZ0420160. There, semi-natural dry grasslands and shrub formations on calcareous soils protect significant orchid populations. The area also includes an almost continuous ash-alder floodplain forest in the valley. The valley of the Podmileský potok and its tributaries lies between Domašín and Louchov. Around Nová Víska, the immediate landscape is characterised by slopes and open meadows; the floodplain forest in the valley belongs to the wider Podmilesy area.

Nová Víska also offers a view of the Tušimice power plant. This contrast between the rural settlement in the Ore Mountains and the technical structure is one of the place’s distinctive impressions.

A settlement with several historical layers

Nová Víska was first mentioned in 1526 in connection with the settlement presumably founded by Cistercians from Grünhain as Nova vila. Its historic German name was Neudorfel. Nová Víska belonged to the Přísečnice estate, and the development of the place is also connected with the Puschhof estate: it ceased to exist in 1728, and a sheepfold was later located on its site.

The settlement officially ceased to exist as a result of depopulation on 1 January 1979. Only a few houses remain from the formerly extensive settlement of Nová Víska u Domašína. It is precisely this combination of documented history and today’s small settlement structure that makes the place interesting for visitors who want not only to view a landscape, but also to trace its historical changes.

Atonement cross, wayside shrine and viewpoint

One of the notable cultural traces is the atonement cross. Historically, it stood on an old road above the former village of Nová Víska (Neudörfl) in the direction of the small settlement of Krčma, the historic Kretscham. The atonement cross is cautiously dated to the second half of the 18th century; it bears a carved depiction of an axe.

The “Vyhlídka u kříže a Kepsteinu” viewpoint is located by the atonement cross and Kepstein. Together with the wayside shrine from Nová ves dating from 1901, it forms a small but multilayered cultural ensemble. For a stay in Nová Víska, this means that you can connect the landscape, local history and individual historical signs without the place losing its manageable scale.

Which accommodation location suits your trip

If you are looking for accommodation in Nová Víska, the focus is less on a wide range of sights than on the special combination of its Ore Mountains setting, protected natural area and settlement history. Those who primarily expect an urban environment will instead find a much smaller-scale and more landscape-oriented local structure in Nová Víska.

For further orientation, you can also visit the pages on Rokle, Chbany, Vejprty, Údlice, Kalek, Pesvice, Všestudy and Háj.

For the higher-level travel overview: Chomutov District.